The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1887-02-05

when it will contribute not less
than two millions of bales of cot.
ton to enrich and enlarge the CON-
merce of the country. In the
name of these brave and heroic
people protest against the impu-
tatl0n of the gentleman from
Iowa. His charge is unjust. cruel,
and without the slightest founda.
ton in fact.
The theory that levees will con-
tribute to the amelioratiOn of the
condition of the river is not only
maintainable in argument but may
be demonstrated by established
facts.
Bad navigation is caused by
bars. If there were no bars there
would be no trouble with the
channel. 1t follows, therefore,
that anything which tends to re.
move existing bars, or to prevent
the formation of new ones, aids
directly in the Improvement of
the channel.
An increment TO existing bars
accompanies the foods, for the
obvious reason that in the wide
shallow places where they are
found there is greater area and
less velocity, and consequently q
deposition of silt. The average
slope Of the river is about one.
third of n foot to the mile, while
the banks slope away from the
river 4 to 10 feet to the mile.
When an overflow comes It Is
apparent that this great slope
from the banks will draw the wa.
ter away from the channel with
great velocity. BY this means the
surface slope and along with it the
direction of the thread of the
stream is turned, involving loss of
contiuity of motion and reduction
of velocity. THIS in turn causes a
rapid deposition Of silt, which in.
creases the size of existing bars
and creates new ones.
At Malone's Landing, Rlverton,
Bolivar and Mound Landing crc'
vases occurred during the flood
of 1882. Surveys made before
and after they occurred showed
that they had produced an aver
age filling up Of the entire channel
space of 13 per cent. The closure
of the Bonnet Carre crevasse,
near New Orleans, showed an I'M
mediate increase of channel space
of about II per cent.
Prior TO the war about two hun
dred miles of Red River above
Alexandria were completely 10
weed, and the channel was there
by so deepcned and enlarged that
the floods were discharged within
its banks and scarcely reached
the levees. In those sections
where there were no levees the
shallow channel continued to
cause overilows. So In the upper
portion of the Lafourche, n bayou
heading in the Mississippi at Dow
aldsonvllle, where leyees have
been maintained for years, the
depth is unimpaired, while in the
lower portion, which is not leveed
the bed is seriously 0bstructod by
sediment.
During the flood Of 1882 many
crevasses occurred which admit
ted the water freely into the va
zoo basin. The maximum stage
at Cairo was 81 feet, and at Vlcks
burg As feet. These erevasses
were closed before the food OF
1888 came, and the effect upon the
river was so marked that while
the maximum stage was the same
at Cairo as in 1882, at Viclsburp
1t was only 43 feet, or D feet lower
1t is thus manifest, both by
theory and fact, that the conflno
ment of high. water foods by le
wees is largely promotive of the
efforts of the commission to i'm.
prove the navigation OF the river.
Mr.. Stannard, of Saint Louis, es.
timated that s2S,OO0,OOO would be
saved annually in the cost oi
transportation alone if a suitable
channel could be maintained /; and
the Board Of engineers, winch ex'
amined the question in 1879, said
that if this were true the work
should be done If 1t cost sT0,000,'
900.
In 1886 General Gilmore said ::
"There seems to be no just
ground for apprehension that the
ultimate cost of this Improvement
will be inordinately great, or will
exceed what the government will
be fully justified in expending upon
great national work, in the sue.
cess of which SO large and SO va.
ried interests are involved
Judging the question by what
has been accomplished, I would
say that s3O,OO0,000 would be a
large estimate. The commission
has been most reeklessly and need.
lessly assailed. 1t is composed OF
able and faithful men, who have
given the work great attention
and whose achievements, notwith
standing what has been stated to
the contrary, have been signally
successful and fully justify the
confidence expressed by them.
The statement repeatedly made
on this floor that they contempla
ted reveting the banks of the river
on both sides from Cairo to the
Gulf, at a cost of probably $3.50,
600, 900, is not justified by anything
ever said or done by them. 1t il
certain that they have never con
sidered such a project. SO tht
averment that everything done by
them has been purely experiment
nj, and that it caunot yet be tolt
whether their plaus can be carricC
into effect, is directly opposed t.
the evidences placed by them be
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